Friction drive for tumbling apparatus



y 1951 H. F. GORSUCH 2,849

FRICTION DRIVE FOR TUMBLING APPARATUS Filed July 11, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.Z.

1 25 28 7 INVENTOR x' HAROLD E GORSUCH 29 E BY ATTORN EY 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4-.

INVENTOR HAROLD F. Go sucH:

WM ATTORNEY H F GORSUCH FRICTION DRIVE FOR TUMBLING APPARATUS May 15, 1951 Filed July 11, 1946 ZQWI Essgsz Patented May 15, 1951 FRICTION DRIVE FOR TUMBLING APPARATUS Harold F. Gorsuch, Mansfield, Ohio, assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application July 11, 1946, Serial No. 682,826

2 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for tumbling fabrics or the like and has for an object to provide improved apparatus of this kind.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved friction drive for the basket of a parted to the resilient support during operation of the drive are minimized.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a tumbler constructed in accordance with my invention, portions of the outer housing being broken away for the sake of clearness;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the tumbler shown in Fig. 1, with portions of the drive mechanism shown in elevation;

Figs. 3 and 4 are, respectively, enlarged views of the driving mechanism shown in Figs. 2 and 1;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view of the pivoted bearing structure shown in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 6 is an end view of the bearing structure shown in Fig. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, I haveshown my improved tumbler drive applied to a clothes tumbler including an outer casing structure I 0 having a front wall H and a rear wall l2, an upper portion I3 of the front wall H being inclined as shown in Fig, 2. The wall portion l3 is provided with an access opening H which is closed by a suitable hinged cover l5. Arranged within the housing 10 is a generally cylindrical basket I6 having a front wall I! of frusto-conical configuration and a rear wall l8. A relatively large opening I9 is formed in the front wall H, which opening communicates with the opening l4 in the outer casing.

As shown in Fig. 2, an inclined chute structure 2|, the outer end of which is fixed to the wall portion l3 and the inner end of which communicates with the interior of the basket I6, serves to guide fabrics dropped through the opening I4 to the interior of the basket. The interior of the basket I6 is provided with a binrality of vanes or baffles 22 which extend radially inwardly of the basket for tumbling the fabrics eccentricity in the basket structure.

as the basket is rotated. Preferably, the entire side wall of the basket I6 is perforate for the circulation of air through the basket, a few of the perforations being shown at 23. In this connection, the tumbler may be also used as a drier provided with an electrical heater (not shown) which radiates heat to the fabrics through the perforations 23.

In accordance with my invention, an improved form of friction drive is provided for rotating the basket, and improved means are employed for rotatably supporting the basket so that the friction between the drive and the basket is maintained substantially constant, irrespective of any The basket is driven by a band 24 suitably formed on the exterior of the basket at one end thereof and which is engaged with a roller 25 forming a part of a unitary drive mechanism, generally indicated at 26. The latter includes an electric motor 21 of the so-called washing machine type, having a shaft 28 upon which a driving roll 29 is fixed. The motor 2! is resiliently supported and includes a frame 3| having annular bosses 32 arranged at each end thereof coaxially of the drive shaft 28. The motor 21 is supported by a U-shaped bracket 33, the base 34 of which is secured in any well-understood manner to a fixed portion of the outer housing It. The upper end of each leg of the U-shaped member 33 is formed with a semi-circular socket 35 in which resilient rings 36 are seated. The rings 36 surround the respective annular bosses 32 and provide a resilient support for the motor 21. The rings 36 are clamped and compressed by a bracket 31 which is hooked at one end, as shown at 38, to the bracket 33 and which is bolted, as shown at 39, at its other end to the opposite side of the bracket 33. As this form of resilient support for a motor of the type shown is well understood, further description of the same is deemed unnecessary.

4 The roll 29 frictionally engages a friction wheel 4| which is secured to a jack shaft 42, upon the opposite end of which the roller 25 is secured. The jack shaft 42 is suitably journalled in a bracket structure 43, the latter including a pair of arms 44 which structure 43 is pivoted, as shown, to a bracket of inverted U-shape and indicated at 45. The latter is secured, as shown, by bolts 46 to the frame 3| of the motor 21.

Returning now to Fig. 1, an additional idling roller 47 is provided at the front end of the basket in contact with the band '24, and assists the: roller 25 in supporting the front end of the basket. The

tained, so that the driving bands of the finished baskets may be more or less eccentric relative the axis of the basket. Accordingly, during r:- tation of the basket, some shifting of the axis of the basket is effected. This movement is geni erally in a vertical plane because of the disposition of the supporting rolls 25 and 41 at the under side of the driving band 24. In order to permit the up and down movement of the axis, I provide a pivoted bearing, generally indicated at 5|, at the rear end of the basket, which bearing will now be described.

The rear wall l8 of the basket is fixed to a stub shaft 52 and is braced by a diaphragm 53 secured at its periphery to a portion of the wall l8 and, at its center, to the shaft 52 in axiallyspaced relation to the Wall l8. (See Fig. 5.) The shaft 52 is journalled in a bearing 54 carried by a block 55, the latter having trunnions 56 extendin horizontally from opposite sides thereof. The trunnions 56 are pivoted in spaced brackets 51 and 58 which are secured to the back wall I? of the outer housing. Axial movement of the shaft 52 in one direction is prevented by a shoulder 59 formed on the shaft 52 and axial movement in the other direction is prevented by a collar 6! positioned by a spring washer B2 fitted in a suitable groove formed in the shaft. Eccentricity of the band 24 may produce some movement of its axis horizontally, but such movement is very small and is permitted by shaft clearance in the bearing structure 54.

The axes of the motor shaft 28, the jack shaft 42 and the band 24 may be aligned in a common plane to preclude any turning moment being imparted to the resilient rings 36, but I prefer to offset the axis of the jack shaft 42 a small amount, as shown in Fig. 4, from this plane. The plane intersecting the axes of the motor shaft 28 and the axis of the basket is shown at A (Fig. 4-). Accordingly, a turning moment of predetermined value, due to, the weight'carried by the roll 25 and depending upon the amount of offset, is imparted to the motor frame 3| through the brackets 43 and 45. This turning moment is counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 4, and is resisted by the resilient rings 36 during inactive periods of the tumbler. During operation of the tumbler, the motor shaft turns counterclockwise as viewed in Fig. 4 so that the reactive force of the motor field imparted to the frame 3| of the motor is clockwise and balances, substantially, the counterclockwise movement imparted to the frame 3i due to the weight of the basket. Accordingly, the torsional moment imparted to the resilient rings 36 during operation of the drier is minimized.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that I have provided an improved friction type drive for a tumbler wherein friction between the driving members is maintained constant regardless of any eccentricity in the driving band for the tumbler basket. Furthermore, where a resilient support of the type disclosed is provided for the motor, the reactive torsional force imparted to the resilient members is minimized during operation of the tumbler.

While I have shown by invention in but one form, ltWiljl be obvious to those skilled. in the art that it is not so limited, but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

vWhatI. claim is:

,LIn apparatus for tumbling fabrics, the combination of a basket for containing the fabrics and rotatable abouta generally horizontal axis,

a driving band fixed to the basket coaxially thereof, a motorhaving a frame and a shaft rotatable-therein-,a pair of spaced annular bosses second roll supporting, at least in part, said bas ket, a jack shaft supporting said second roll and wheel and an::.arm carrying the jack shaft and pivoted to said motor frame, said jack shaft be-" ing so disposed that its axis is offset from aline intersecting the axes'of the band and motor shaft whereby atorsional force is imparted to said motor frame through said arm, said force being oppcsed'to the reactive force imparted to said motor frame during operation of the motor.

2. In apparatus fortumbling fabrics or'the like, the combination of astationary housing, a substantially :cylindrical basket structure for containing the fabrics to be tumbled and rotatable about a generally horizontal axis within. the housing, said basket having an annular driving band portion formed adjacent one end thereof, a shaft fixed to the opposite end of the basket coaxially of said driving band portion, a bearing for said shaft, means pivotally supporting said bearing on said housing and providing for rocking movement of the basket in a generally vertical plane within the housing, first and second rollers disposed beneath the basket and engaging circumferentially spaced portions of said driving band portion, said first and second rollers and said shaft defining a three-point support for the basket, and motor-driven means arranged within the housing for driving one of said rollers.

HAROLD F. GORSUCI-I.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the" file of this patent:

' UNITED STATES PATENTS 

